The Southern Times

OPINION

Are Africans and African Americans One People?

By Staff Reporter on 8th July 2016

By Tatenda Gwaambuka

African Americans should learn about our wars of liberation as we should also learn about slavery so we appreciate that none of us had it easy.

African-Americans have been depicted as our long lost brothers and sisters in some circles and we love to believe the hype. Stories of Oprah Winfrey being from the Kpelle Tribe in Liberia and Whoopi Goldberg from an ethnic group in Guinea-Bissau excite us.

However, does tracing roots to an African Tribe make African-Americans part of us? Do they want to be part of us? Whoopi Goldberg for one seems uninterested as she recently made headlines for saying she was simply “American” and not even African American. The whole dynamic is a complex balancing act.

The pressure put on black-Americans is immense; to be just the right amount of African while being American enough to be respected in their home-country. For Africans, the choice is easier; we simply have to be African because that’s all we can and should be.

African Booty Scratchers and the Akata?

Africans and African Americans seem to be on opposite ends of the divide of class. Some Africans who have been to the United States of America feel the most hateful racial slurs have come from fellow blacks. One of the most notorious of these is “African Booty Scratcher”.

In Bound: Africans v African Americans, a motion picture produced by Peres Owino, Actor Isaiah Washington of Grey’s Anatomy says, “There will be two people of colour in a class. One African and one African-American.

And they will not look at each other.” Another interviewee then adds, “I was called an African Booty Scratcher I don’t even know how many times…Typically, the darker you are the more you get called it.”

Instead of just taking such slurs at face-value, we need to understand where they come from. How do blacks end up hating each other? Tampa poet, James Tokley says, “A lot of us (African Americans) do harbour a lot of hostility toward Africans. Many Africans have no idea what our ancestors endured during slavery.”

The answer is therefore the shaky ground on which the United States is built. Slavery is the foundation on which the great edifice that the USA is was built upon and black-Americans feel they deserve apologies not just from the whites but their black brothers who “sold their ancestors off.”

Worse still, blacks who later came to America were known to have better relations with whites as a result of previous encounters with missionaries in Africa.

This made them relate with the white man on a more cordial level than the black-American who had been subjected to years of institutionalised torture which remains even to this day. Looking from the outside, this was a betrayal.

However, where African-Americans use their own slurs to hurl at Africans, Africans have their own to retort. Some call the black-Americans “Akata” which is a wandering cat. Luvvie Ajayi says, “That word epitomizes the terrible stereotypes that Africans have about African Americans. But many young Africans don’t know what it MEANS.”

The Role of Education

Luvvie Ajayi is a Nigerian and her understanding of the misunderstandings between the two groups stems from the inherent flaws in our education.

Her views are that Africans do not know about the black American’s struggle for legitimacy and equality in America to which she even says, “I didn’t know a thing about African Americans being slaves when I was growing up. I thought everyone had a maid and driver like I did.”

It might be a fact of most African countries that blacks no longer know the struggle of simply being labelled black. In America, they still have the Black Lives Matter movement to assert their rights in an environment that keeps reminding them that they are not at par with other races.

Some Africans do not know this and the way they connect with African Americans is telling. “Much of the tension between Africans and African Americans exists because we don’t talk enough about our uncomfortable relationship,” Ajayi says.

Where Africans are successful in the United States of America, we feel it is the black American’s fault that he is not equally successful. We call the black American an Akata, a wild animal with no cause. Unknowingly, we play right into the hands of the conventional mainstream media.

A synergy of African and African American voices is too hard to conquer and mainstream media seeks to highlight the differences in background over blood so as to divide and conquer.

African Americans are taught that Africa is nothing more than a primitive backward jungle from where they came while Africans believe African Americans to be a very violent people who always have guns.

Kofi Glover, a Ghanaian political science Professor at the University of South Florida makes an eternally factual conclusion on the matter, saying, “A shared complexion does not equal a shared culture, nor does it automatically lead to friendships. Whether we like it or not, Africans and African-Americans have two different and very distinct cultures.”

Though this is true, we have a shared background of repression and disputed legitimacy. This should count for something! African Americans should learn about our wars of liberation as we should also learn about slavery so we appreciate that none of us had it easy. – African Exponent

Business Insider

'Shark Tank' investor Daymond John explains how his mom helped FUBU become a $350 million company

• Richard Feloni
   
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• May 10, 2015, 2:01 PM
 
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"Shark Tank" investor Daymond John and his mom work out of their house in FUBU's infancy.Daymond John

When Daymond John was in his early 20s, his mother said to him, "Listen, you're going to have to figure out what you're doing the rest of your life, one way or another."

Growing up in Hollis, Queens, as the only child of a single mom, John had wanted to run his own business since grade school, and he was inspired by his mom's advice that a day job would never make him rich, but dedication to his own venture could.

So he told her one day in 1992 that he wanted to build an apparel company for young men called FUBU. She taught him how to sew, and he started making and selling hats. After seeing how passionate her son was about the project, she mortgaged her home to raise $100,000 in funding and turned half of her house into a factory, working alongside John when she could.

Six years later the company was an international sensation that brought in $350 million in revenue.

John recently sat down with his mom, who goes by Ms. John — or as her son now prefers, "Shark Momma John" — for a video produced by the Understood foundation for learning disabilities (John is dyslexic).

"We did it, and I believed in you because I saw how excited you were about being an entrepreneur, about making your own money, about making your own product," Ms. John told Daymond.

Today, John is in charge of a diverse investment portfolio under his company Shark Branding, which includes many companies he has invested in through the hit show "Shark Tank."

He told Business Insider last fall that his mother gave him his favorite piece of business advice: "Money is a great slave but a horrible master," she told him.

"I think that in the earlier days, when I was a 'wantrepreneur,' I was really doing things because I thought what I wanted was to be rich. For the most part, those businesses failed, and then later when I started doing something casually because I loved it, that business burst," he said, referring to FUBU.

In FUBU's infancy, Ms. John moved out of her house so that her son and three business partners he added could have more room to create apparel to meet increasing demand.

She was confident that Daymond had finally found what he wanted to do with his life.

"Any parent would have been so happy just to see their child so excited," Ms. John said.

You can watch the full interview below:

SEE ALSO: Meet the 13-year-old CEO who built a $200,000 business and is mentored by Daymond John

Daily Sun

NATIONAL

Yesterday

SFISO HAD SAID HIS GOODBYES

   

By  Bongani Mthimunye And Sifiso JimtaWednesday, December 07, 2016 11:47

Sibusiso Mabhena is still shocked by the death of his friend, Sfiso.Photo by Bongani Mthimunye  ~ 

TWO weeks before his sudden death due to reported kidney failure, gospel musician Sfiso Ncwane had – unbeknown to him – already begun saying his goodbyes.

After telling his audience that he was not feeling well, the gospel crooner still blessed congregants at an all-night prayer session in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, giving what is described as his most vivid performance of 10 of his best songs.

His long-time friend Sibusiso Mabhena (31), of Tweefontein, near Kwamhlanga in Mpumalanga, said he was with Sfiso that day.

“I’ve been friends with Sfiso since 2001, but never before have I seen him perform as passionately as he did that night.

“I accompanied him to the car, but he returned to the stage and sang one song after another, leaving the crowd begging for more.

“When he left the stage, he promised congregants that he would return to the city of coal with his family to worship with them.”

• Meanwhile, condolences continued to pour in for Sfiso following his death at Life Fourways Hospital, in northern Joburg.

Ncwane rose to stardom after the release of his album Baba Ngiyavuma.

President Jacob Zuma expressed deep sadness and extended his heartfelt condolences on Monday, saying the country had lost a star. “May his soul rest in peace,” Zuma said.

The EFF also sent their “revolutionary condolences” to the family, friends and all South Africans touched by his music.

Dennis Bloem, Cope spokesman, said they were saddened by the singer’s death.

Family spokesman, Sipho Makhabane, said there will be two memorial services, one in Joburg, with the venue to be confirmed, and another at the Ethekwini Community Church tomorrow at 11am.

The funeral service will take place at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday at 9am.

Global Post Media

     Mawaza Police said that they arrested 48-year-old Evelyne Ndlovu, after using an ax to kill her husband, 56-year-old Rhodes Maphosa, because he refused to have sex with her, Worldwide Weird News reports

According to the police investigation, Ndlovu began arguing with Maphosa in the afternoon when he refused her sexual advances.

After several hours of arguing, Ndlovu went to sleep in the bedroom while Maphosa fell asleep on a couch in the kitchen. Around 2:00 a.m., Ndlovu woke up, took an ax and attacked her sleeping husband.

Maphosa died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

At first, Ndlovu told neighbors that an intruder was responsible for her husband’s death, but when police arrived to questioned her, she fled from the scene.

After two weeks, police managed to track her down and arrested her on charges of murder. Ndlovu was brought before the Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court, where she was released on bail.

SOURCE: http://globalpostmedianiz.blogspot.co.za/2015/01/graphic-photos-african-woman-axes-her.html

ANC Today

RADICAL ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IS KEY IN CURBING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & CHILDREN

Posted on 25th November 2016 by Staff Reporter Posted in Viewpoints.

MEOKGO MATUBA

 Annually the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) and the ANC-led government, through the Department of Women, run a successful campaign in pursuit of curbing violence on women and children as espoused in the fundamental principles of the movement of a non-violent, non-sexist and a prosperous South Africa.

Since 1998, South Africa embarks on the 16 Days campaign against violence on women and children that commences today, the 25th of November and ends on the10th of December.

The 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence, which marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of violence against women, is the Human Rights Day. This period also includes Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day respectively. The campaign, therefore, remains an essential tool in creating awareness on the negative impacts of violence on women and children.

The ANCWL has noted that violence against women and children is still rife in South Africa.  This violence against women takes different forms, namely; physical violence in the form of domestic violence, terrible violent crimes such as murder, robbery, rape and assault in the survivor’s homes and in society and the rape culture in institutions of higher learning and schools against young women and girl children.

While the ANC-run government works tirelessly to eradicate inequality and poverty, we note that the terrible brunt on our democracy is the violence of poverty, starvation, humiliation and degradation, especially against women and children. Poverty, inequality and unemployment are conditions under which violence thrives.

According to the 2015/2016 crime statistics released the by Minister of Police, Comrade Nkosinathi Nhleko, earlier in the year, there is a decline in violent crimes but for us, one incident of crime is one too many. The victims of violence are human beings and at the most violence directly and indirectly affects women and children more than it does men.  For instance, violent crimes such as murder destabilises families since children are left as orphans with lifelong psychological scars.  Again, the majority of sexual offenses perpetrators are men than women.

As much as the ANCWL appreciates the gradual decrease in crime against women & children, it is our firm belief that more needs to be done in relation to sex crimes, which includes sexual assault and rape. On sexual violence, statistics indicates that Gauteng had 9510 cases, KZN 8947, Eastern Cape 8797, Western Cape 7130, Limpopo 4369, North-West 4164, Free-State 3928, Mpumalanga 3331 and Northern Cape 1719. In total there were 51895 reported cases. These are not just numbers but there are human being and especially vulnerable women and children behind each and every number.

When we take into consideration the fact that statistics are not an accurate reflection on the number of sexual violent instances because it is only based on reported cases and it is common knowledge that there are survivors who do not report rape and assault cases due to various reasons ranging from safety, economic reasons etc. we, in the ANCWL remain concerned because crime statistics tell us that while we conduct successful campaigns yearly, we need to intensify the fight in curbing the culture of violence against women and children.

As the ANCWL launched the campaign this week, the aim is to mobilise society into acknowledging that violence against women and children is not a government or a criminal justice system problem, but a societal problem, and that failure to view it as such, results in all efforts failing to eradicate this scourge in our communities.

Violence against women and children is one of the most egregious and persistent violations of human rights, affecting victims across race, gender and age. This societal ill is a symptom of gender inequalities which are pervasive socially, in politics and in the economic mainstream. Women perform 66% of the work worldwide and produce 60% of its food, yet they earn 10% of the income and own 1% world’s property.

The ANCWL is adamant that radical economic transformation of women will curb violence against women and children. Gender gaps in the economic mainstream need to be tackled with vigour and the urgency it deserves as economically disempowered women are vulnerable to gender based violence.  Women need to be economically empowered to gain their confidence and independence respectively.

As a country we need to focus our energies on strategies for empowering women economically to afford them greater autonomy in securing livelihoods through traditional employment and self-employment.  Women empowerment has proven to yield great results in families and society at large.

Women cannot stand in the side-lines and watch the gains of our democracy regress. We, being in majority in country’s population, will continue to take up our role to influence, mobilise and fight for economic emancipation of women thus curbing violent crimes against women and children. We must move together towards a violence free South Africa.

The ANCWL calls on men, young men and boys, in all their formations and in society at large to join the fight against violence on women and children. While the campaign is marked for only 16 days, the deeply entrenched scourge dictates that everyday becomes a day to make progress our fight to emancipate, first and foremost women economically and thereby curbing gender based violence perpetuated mainly by inequality and poverty.

It is the responsibility of all members of our society to ensure that the rights of women are respected as equal citizens. That responsibility cannot be relegated to women alone.

CDE MEOKGO MATUBA IS THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ANCWL

The Citizen

national 30.11.2016 10:25 am

Zuma claims he was poisoned by enemies three times

350

Citizen Reporter

President Jacob Zuma goes door-to-door in Khayelitsha while on an election campaign stop in Cape Town. Pic: Chantall Presence / ANA

Though he did not reveal any names, it appears Zuma believes his enemies are plotting to get rid of him.

During the ANC NEC meeting that took place over three days in Pretoria, Zuma addressed members on the last day, telling them there was a concerted effort from foreign forces to get rid of him.

According to The Sowetan, several sources who were at the meeting said Zuma spoke out about being poisoned. Though he did not reveal any names, it appears Zuma believes his enemies are plotting to get rid of him.

His wife, Nompumelelo Ntuli, was accused of having poisoned him in 2014. She was subsequently banished from Nkandla and is under investigation from the Hawks. At the time, reports suggested Zuma had fallen ill and flown to Russia, where he was diagnosed as having being poisoned.

At a press conference held yesterday, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe shot down reports that a debate on a motion of no confidence tabled by tourism minister Derek Hanekom had taken place.

Instead, Mantashe said the NEC had taken an executive decision to continue supporting Zuma until the end of his term in 2019.

“The NEC has resolved not to support the call for the president to step down. We resolved that we work towards achieving unity in the movement.”

The Presidency

Address by President Jacob Zuma during the launch of the National Dialogues on Violence Against Women and Children

25 November 2016

The Premier of the Limpopo Province, Mr Stan Mathabatha,

The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Ms Susan Shabangu,

Deputy Ministers and MECs,

Deputy Judge President of the Limpopo High Court Judge Fikile Mokgohloa,

Mayors, Municipal Managers and Councillors,

Members of the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges,

Members of the South African Women Lawyers,

Traditional Leaders,

Members from the broader legal fraternity,

Leadership of Faith Based and Civil Organisations,

Fellow South Africans,

We have gathered here today to mark this important day in our country, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children.

We use this day each year to launch the 16 days of activism of no violence against women and children and to take stock of progress made in fighting the abuse and violence directed at women and children.

This campaign is about uniting all in our country behind one message, that women and children must be safe and must feel safe at home, in the streets and anywhere in the country.

Informed by our country’s Constitution which turns 20 years old next month, government is determined to use all resources at its disposal, to make the country safer for women and children.

The theme of this year’s 16 Days Campaign, which says“Count Me In: Together Moving a Non-Violent South Africa Forward”, urges all of us to fight this scourge of violence against women and children.

This year’s campaign takes the form of the launch of National Dialogues on Violence Against Women and Children.

About twenty-seven Dialogues have been lined up for the various parts of the Limpopo province, to engage the victims and perpetrators. The purpose is to use the information gathered and lessons learned, to prevent the abuse of women and children and to raise awareness.

Dialogues must be held in every province. The Dialogues will provide an opportunity for government to assess its own law enforcement and social support machinery in order to enhance support for women and children.

Violence against women and children manifests itself openly in serious crimes such as murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm or human trafficking.

What is of serious concern is that most women are attacked by men they know and in most cases men they are intimate with - their husbands or partners. We are losing more and more women at the hands of their violent intimate partners. 

International studies show that women often turn a blind eye to the violence in their intimate relationships or sometimes prefer to live in denial or disbelief.

They also live in hope that the perpetrator will change and stop their behaviour.

The danger about living in an unattended violent relationship is that it intensifies over time until it leads to death.

Violence against women has been declared a priority crime by government. Women must not be scared to report the perpetrators to the police.

As we meet already there are horrific tales of violent attacks, such as the gang-rape of a 13 year old girl by 10 men in Nyanga, Cape Town.

It is beyond comprehension that adult men can inflict such pain on a defenceless child. Other children are sexually molested at home by relatives in some cases. These are the types of incidents that should unite us all to say enough is enough.

There are also cases of the abuse of girls in schools by teachers, some of whom even fall pregnant. Government appeals to parents and girls to report such teachers to the police and social workers.

This conduct must not be tolerated. Statutory rape must be reported to the police as it is a serious crime against children.

Women are also sexually harassed in the workplace by male supervisors who abuse their positions of power.

The workplace must be made safe for women so that they can perform and be productive in an environment conducive for work.

Women and children must be safe, and must feel safe in their country.

We should in the same vein also step up our efforts in fighting sexually orientated violence perpetrated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or intersex  people. They also deserve to be safe and feel safe, everywhere in the country.

Bakwethu,

Sihlangene namhlanje ukuvula ngokusemthethweni uhlelo lokuqwashisa ngokuhlukunyezwa kwabesimame nezingane.

Sikhumbuza umphakathi wonke ukuthi kufanele sibambisane silwe nalesisihlava sokuhlukumeza, ukushaya, ukudlwengula, ukuthumba kanyenokubulala omame nezingane.

Lezizigameko ziyenzeka emizini nasemiphakathini eminingi. Kufanele ziphele. Omama nezingane banelungelo lokuphila ngokuthula nangokuphepha.

Importantly, violence against women and children is not a private matter. It is everybody’s business. Neighbours must not keep quiet when they see or hear women or children being attacked or abused.

Some families take a decision to hide the abuse of children to avoid embarrassment. These incidents must be reported to the police and social workers. Children deserve justice and protection.

We have legislation in place such as the Sexual Offences Act, Children’s Act, Domestic Violence Act, the Child Justice Act, Older Persons Act and many other laws which are important instruments to fight abuse.

We urge all our police officers to receive women sensitively when they come to report the cases of abuse or violence at the police stations.

A conducive environment is being created at many police stations.

The police Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units were re-established in June 2010.  Members of the Units receive specialised training to deal effectively with sexual offence related case.  

Police run many campaigns around this time as well, raising awareness of the services they provide.

Every Magistrate’s Court has a division that deals with Domestic Violence matters. 

In large offices, there are dedicated clerks and Magistrates to attend to domestic violence matters. This is yet another indicator of the measures taken by government to fight the abuse of women and children.

Women should not keep quiet, and must use all avenues to report abuse and to seek help.

Government has, through the Department of Social Development, established a 24 hour call centre, the Gender-based Violence Command Centre.

The Centre deals with issues relating to domestic violence, rape, physical abuse, indecent assault, verbal abuse/intimidation, abandoned children and non-GBV cases. A majority of cases reported involve incidence of physical violence.

The call centre handles one thousand and five hundred calls a day and these calls are handled by 40 social workers able to deal with the issues raised. The centre refers cases of violence to the police and to social workers. Women should contact social workers to obtain phone numbers or the nearest SA Social Security Agency offices so that they can be assisted.

Such centres are important as they provide a helpful voice on the other end of the line, especially when women and children are not comfortable with speaking to family members.

The prevention of these crimes is also important.

Government’s socio-economic development programmes are designed to improve the living conditions of all, especially women and children.

Some of the interventions which are continuing everywhere by government include the provision of street lighting, reliable and safer public transport, water and sanitation inside the house which create better and safer living conditions for women and children.

  

Going to the river to fetch water or going outside the home to use a toilet at night have become risky for women which is why government continues to provide these services in the home.

Improving the economic status of women is also paramount in order to stop the financial and economic dependence on men, which makes many women vulnerable to abuse.

Some women stay in abusive relationships because they are unemployed and depend on the perpetrator for shelter, food and all basic needs.

I have instructed the economic cluster in government to ensure that all economic programmes of government consciously include the empowerment of women.

This follows the production of the important report on the economic status of women, by the Department of Women in The Presidency.

Programmes are ongoing to improve women’s access to land so that they can grow their own food and build their homes.

Women also need access to business financing and credit so that they can establish small businesses or cooperatives to generate income.

The promotion of education and training opportunities is important measures aimed at empowering women and promoting economic independence.

One of the achievements of government in alleviating poverty has been the social grants system. Many families are able to put food on the table because of the money from social grants.

Government will also continue running Victim Support and Victim Empowerment Programmes to provide much needed psycho-social support.

Government does not work alone in fighting abuse. We acknowledge all non-governmental organisations that support women in distress. They run shelters for abused women, crisis centres and call centres.

We acknowledge religious leaders, traditional leaders and community leaders to whom these cases are also reported. We appeal to them to continue supporting victims and survivors of such cases.

We recognise organisations run by women and men’s organisations, raising awareness and promoting positive role models for men and boys in the campaign of promoting safer homes and communities.

Let me also applaud women in the legal profession for their participation in this important campaign.

The Department of Women is working with the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges and the South African Women Lawyers Association, to host the South African Family Law Dialogue, as part of the sectors dialogues within the National Dialogues in the provinces.

This exercise will provide a platform for women in the judiciary, the legal profession and public service to reflecton the South African family law, its implications, benefits and challenges, and whether the laws are helpful to women or not.

Compatriots,

Let me emphasise that this campaign should not run for 16 days only.

We must together implement our decision taken in 2014, of running this case for the whole year, for 365 days of the year.

We appeal to every citizen and everyone living in South Africa. Let us build a society where women and children are safe, and feel safe.

All of us must play a role to achieve that goal.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my honour and pleasure to officially launch the campaign of 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children.

We wish the country well in ensuring the success of this very important campaign, and urge everyone to participate in every community.

I thank you!

The Presidency